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Highlights
Norman Borlaug Field Award – Dr. Swati Nayak
Dr. Swati Nayak, an International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) scientist, has been awarded the
prestigious 2023 Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application.
Recognized for her innovative work in engaging smallholder farmers in demand-driven rice seed
systems, Dr. Nayak has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and
practical applications. Her grassroots experience and leadership have led to significant impacts,
including establishing programs benefiting millions of women farmers and successfully
disseminating climate-resilient rice varieties.
"Her role in releasing and expanding a number of promising novel rice varieties, developed in Bangladesh
and introduced to India is highly regarded as this has effectively crossed geographic boundaries –
research innovations reaching the hands of farmers, regardless of their nationality at a faster scale."
— Wahida Akter, The Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture Secretary.
Food Planet Prize Winners – The Agrobiodiversity Index
Researchers at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT were awarded the Food Planet Prize
in 2023 for their Agrobiodiversity Index, a groundbreaking tool recognized for its vision of
quantifying and enhancing the sustainability of food systems.
The Index aims to bridge the gap between existing agricultural biodiversity and potential species
diversity, promoting healthy diets and resilient production systems. Winning one of the world’s
most important environmental awards signifies an opportunity to advance policies and practices,
catalyzing change in global food systems.
"It has a vision of using science and empirical evidence to quantify and measure the sustainability of the
food system, and translate this into a quantitative index for farmers, businesses, and policy, in order to
accelerate the adoption of sustainable and healthy food systems."
— Food Planet Prize
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